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New Petition to Ban Lap Riders on Airplanes

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by Nicole Stevens on October 01, 2013

Nicole Stevens

About the Author

Nicole Stevens is a 30-something mom of four adorable kids. Her passions include spending time with her babies and doing research in the laboratory. She also enjoys crafts, photography, crochet, reading, and long walks. Her work has appeared elsewhere on WhattoExpect.com.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

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Currently, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not require kids younger than two to be restrained during flights. An organization called Safe Seats for Every Air Traveler is hoping to change that by starting a petition to ban lap riders on all U.S. flights.

Yahoo News reports that Safe Seats founders Jan Brown and John Goglia both have very personal stakes in their fight to make air travel safer for kids. Brown was serving as a flight attendant on United Flight 232 that crashed in Iowa in 1989, killing more than 100 people. Among the dead was a 23-month-old boy who was thrown from his mother's lap. Brown was the one who had to tell the mother that her child had been killed. Goglia, formerly an accident investigator for a major airline, saw firsthand the devastating results when unrestrained children are involved in a plane crash.

So-called "lap kids" who travel in an adult's arms are at greater risk of injury and death, both in crashes and air turbulence. Brown and Goglia argue that while the FAA's website suggests government-approved restraint systems for kids during flights, very few people see the recommendation. Even a public service announcement about safe flying for kids can't reach everyone. Thousands of "lap kids" fly every day because parents may not know the risks. (I sure didn't!)

Our best bet is a ban on unrestrained lap riders during air travel, Safe Kids says. The organization has started a petition to the White House urging a change. Current airline restraint regulations (which don't require children under two to be restrained on planes) have been unchanged since 1953 — they're outdated and unsafe.

The FAA has so far refused the ban, arguing that the action may actually increase the number of transportation deaths. The FAA states that if parents are required to purchase restraint systems and pay for an extra plane seat, they may choose instead to drive to their destination. The airlines may lose money if more people choose to drive. And statistically, driving is much more dangerous than air travel.

Goglia roundly refutes this idea. "The airline industry owns the Department of Transportation," he says. "It's all about the economics. And if you talk to people who know statistics, they'll tell you [this] is baloney." Brown agrees: "Diversion is ludicrous. It's a smokescreen."

The ban on "lap children" is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, labor unions, consumer advocates, and members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In 2010, NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman summed up the situation succinctly by saying, "Safety for our smallest travelers should not be considered optional or a luxury."

Brown knows some opponents of the ban will say this is intrusive government regulation, like banning super-sized fast food items. But she argues that it's merely closing an illogical loophole on the original law that required all passengers to be restrained, except the little ones. Why do kids not need the same kind of restraint adults have? That seems ridiculous to me. Kids under two "have no voice, they have no vote, they have no lobby," Brown says. They need advocates.

The current petition to the White House is the culmination of 24 years' worth of research, lobbying, and testifying before Congress. Safe Seats is hoping to get 100,000 signatures on their petition by the end of this week — a daunting task, but one that may save the lives of many children.

I think it's a great idea. A much-needed change. I haven't yet had the occasion to take my babies on a plane, so this isn't an issue we've come up against personally. But last summer, we were planning a trip to California. Hubby and I combed the Internet for great airfares, and I diligently checked the rental car places to make sure they rented car seats with their vehicles. I'll admit, I didn't think too much about having a car seat on the plane. I figured my wiggly nine-month-old baby girl would be hard enough to handle on my lap, let alone strapped into a car seat that I'd have to lug through the airport. Yep, I was one of those uninformed parents who HADN'T seen the FAA's recommendations on their website, and DIDN'T know the potential dangers of lap kids.

Our trip fell through. We never got on that plane with our babies. And most likely, even if I'd had my baby on my lap, the flight would have been smooth as butter and perfectly lovely. But there's always that chance that we could have hit emergency circumstances. If I ever fly with my babies, they will all be in safety restraints, even if it means purchasing an additional seat. That extra cost would be worth it for my own peace of mind.

What are your thoughts on child restraints in airplanes? Do you support this petition? Leave a note below.

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